Post by -Mother Chucker- on Jan 28, 2009 18:01:30 GMT -5
Bass Appeal
Gossip Girl's infamous bad boy, Ed Westwick, needs no introduction.
by Lauren Waterman
As tempting as it might be to mistake Mr. Edward Westwick for a real-life version of his on-screen alter ego—almost everyone knows he plays Gossip Girl's always-entertaining Chuck Bass—the actor (who simply goes by "Ed") is quick to insist that any similarities between them are purely superficial. "We look the same," he says, "but that's about it, darling."
Well, that's not quite it. While we'll happily concede that the actor is likely not driven by the same "inner emptiness" and all-consuming "desire for revenge" that he ascribes to his recently orphaned character, Ed does share some of Chuck's sunnier qualities—for example, that charmingly louche affect. And just as C's every assignation is faithfully tracked by the show's titular know-it-all narrator, Ed's own rumored make-out sessions (with Drew Barrymore and, lately, costar Jessica Szohr) serve as fodder for numerous gossip Web sites and weekly tabloids. He's cagey, of course, when it comes to specifics but says that his overall outlook on romance represents yet another big difference between Chuck and him: "I'm all for being in love," he notes. "And whenever I like someone, I end up pretty much completely smitten."
Ed seems truly to adore his primary gig. "I learn so much every day, every week, every episode," he says. "And everyone on the show has created this great bond. We're like a family." But the 21-year-old Brit is still happy for a chance to prove to his audience that he's capable of playing more than just its favorite smug rich boy. In the upcoming S. Darko (a sequel to the 2001 cult hit Donnie Darko), he's "a small-town guy who never really lived up to his potential." He's also hoping to make another movie during Gossip Girl's summer hiatus. And though his rock band, the Filthy Youth, is largely defunct—"I'm busy with the show," he explains, "and they're back in England"—he says he's looking to put together a new, New York–based group. The details may be sketchy, but Ed is cheerfully confident. "I'm sure," he says, "you haven't heard the last of me yet."
www.teenvogue.com/industry/2009/01/ed-westwick-interview
